The Slice: Saluting civilian ignorance

The Air Force has been a big part of Spokane for a long time.

But it would be my guess that most area residents couldn’t say whether a captain is higher than a major or tell you if a colonel outranks a lieutenant colonel.

OK, let’s move on.

“Name that grandparent, Part 3: Because of a “Happy Days” expression she employed, Evelyn Sage’s young grandson started calling her Grandma Woo Woo.

In recognition of her sympathetic reaction to his various head bumps and spills, A.Y. Victor’s great-grandson named her Grandma Oh Oh.

When Susy Smith’s grandson was learning to talk, he called her Monga. The name stuck. And today she has MONGA on the license plates adorning her Corvette.

Jan Smith’s extended family includes grandparents called Chickie and GaGa Nut. But Smith herself is simply known as Grandma Jan.

For reasons you could guess, Dick and Mary Skinner are known as Grandpa and Grandma Motorhome.

And Erna Vinje’s being called “Ibu” (pronounced Eboo) is an acknowledgement of her Indonesian heritage. (It doesn’t mean grandma, but it’s close enough.)

“Slice answers: Lorili Johnson in Pend Oreille County guessed that tax accountants are the professionals who spend the most time disabusing clients of erroneous information.

And in the matter of fumbling your pills, Jeanne Lawhead in Whitman County said picking them up again is her morning exercise.

“Naming the problem: Spokane’s John Yancey does a lot of flying and is familiar with jet lag. But on a recent Monday night when he was back East, he stayed up until 2 a.m. to finish watching a GU basketball game on TV.

The next day, he didn’t have much zip and realized he was suffering from “Zag lag.”

“Two for Tuesday: 1. Today is National Tooth Fairy Day. Support their right to bear arms.

2. Annual rant: If you don’t also observe Lent, engaging in Fat Tuesday revelry does not mark you as a deep thinker.

“Mac and Cheese Department: Julie Farmer said her friend Lois McCracken makes the best.

Alyssa Fitzner said that honor goes to her Aunt Jackie.

Debbie Mathews praised the Metro Café’s version.

And, well, the list of nominations has gotten a bit out of control. I’m about to call it a day on this.

Several readers have asked to see a recipe. But I don’t really believe in them.

“Warm-up questions: Do you do anything to note the anniversary of your first day of work at your current job? At what local business is it most obvious that being good-looking is a prerequisite for getting hired?

“Today’s Slice question: What’s your default anxiety?